This is the day, it must be the day, the day when we can truly hope that spring is here to stay.  We can look forward to nice weather from now until next November.   Last night I had a heater running in my greenhouse, I unplugged it this morning and don’t plan to plug it back in this season.

I had the greenhouse all buttoned up tight to try to keep the cold at bay for the last week.  Today the sun came out in earnest and really started heating it up inside.  Think about a car with the windows rolled all the way up.  It heats up pretty nicely.  On a cold day it is nice to sit inside on a cold sunny day, but on a warm sunny day it gets too hot too fast.  That is kind of what my greenhouse is like when it is all buttoned up.

One of the things that you need to think about when you are designing a greenhouse is air circulation.  In a low tech greenhouse like mine, that can be a challenge.

I use strategically placed folds in the plastic that can either be propped open like in the image above, or held closed with wires and ties that are also seen in the image.  There are vents placed to catch breezes from the north, south and west.  We seldom get wind from the east on a warm sunny day, so it isn’t necessary to have vents on that side.

In addition to venting out excess heat, this also allows for the introduction of breezes that will prepare the plants for the winds they will face when they are moved out into the garden.

But until that day, they will have to be satisfied with sitting in a warm, sometimes hot, moist greenhouse.  They like it like that.

PEACE!

KT

Day 36